The slave should be resigned to his lot, in obeying his master he is obeying God.
Saint John ChrysostomSuch is friendship, that through it we love places and seasons; for as bright bodies emit rays to a distance, and flowers drop their sweet leaves on the ground around them, so friends impart favor even to the places where they dwell. With friends even poverty is pleasant. Words cannot express the joy which a friend imparts; they only can know who have experienced. A friend is dearer than the light of heaven, for it would be better for us that the sun were exhausted than that we should be without friends.
Saint John ChrysostomLet no one mourn that he has fallen again and again; for forgiveness has risen from the grave.
Saint John ChrysostomA friend is more to be longed for than the light; I speak of a genuine one. And wonder not: for it were better for us that the sun should be extinguished, than that we should be deprived of friends; better to live in darkness, than to be without friends
Saint John ChrysostomWhat is it to be a fool for Christ? It is to control one's thoughts when they stray out of line. It is to make the mind empty and free.
Saint John ChrysostomEven if we have thousands of acts of great virtue to our credit, our confidence in being heard must be based on God's mercy and His love for men. Even if we stand at the very summit of virtue, it is by mercy that we shall be saved.
Saint John ChrysostomI do not think there are many among Bishops that will be saved, but many more that perish.
Saint John ChrysostomNothing is more powerful than meekness. For as fire is extinguished by water, so a mind inflated by anger is subdued by meekness. By meekness we practice and make known our virtue, and also cause the indignation of our brother to cease, and deliver his mind from perturbation.
Saint John ChrysostomWhat greater work is there than training the mind and forming the habits of the young?
Saint John ChrysostomDo you think that the man-loving God has given you much so that you could use it only for your own benefit? No, but so that your abundance might supply the lack of others.
Saint John ChrysostomWe ought not, as soon as we leave church, to plunge into business unsuited to church, but as soon as we get home, we should take the Scriptures into our hands, and call our wife and children to join us in putting together what we have heard in church.
Saint John ChrysostomThere is harm not only in trying to gain wealth but also in excessive concern with even the most necessary things. It is not enough to despise wealth, but you must also feed the poor and, more importantly, you must follow Christ.
Saint John ChrysostomGod helps those who work, not those who are idle. No one helps an inactive person, but one who joins in the labor. The good God himself will bring...work to perfection.
Saint John ChrysostomHow many there are who still say, 'I want to see His shape, His image, His clothing, His sandals.' Behold, you do see Him, you touch Him, you eat Him! You want to see His clothing. He gives Himself to you, not just to be seen but to be touched, to be eaten, to be received within .... Let all of you be ardent, fervent, enthusiastic. If the Jews stood, shoes on, staff in hand, and eating in haste, how much more vigilant should you be. They were about to go to Palestine; ... you are about to go to heaven.
Saint John ChrysostomThis is the highest point of philosophy, to be simple & wise; this is the angelic life.
Saint John ChrysostomFeast of Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, & his sister Macrina, Teachers, c.394 & c.379 Humility is the root, mother, nurse, foundation, and bond of all virtue.
Saint John ChrysostomAlmsgiving above all else requires money, but even this shines with a brighter luster when the alms are given from our poverty. The widow who paid in the two mites was poorer than any human, but she outdid them all.
Saint John ChrysostomI exhort and entreat you all, disregard what this man and that man thinks about these things, and inquire from the Scriptures all these things.
Saint John ChrysostomIf repentance is neglected for an instant, one can lose the power of the Resurrection as he lives with the weakness of tepidity and the potential of his fall.
Saint John ChrysostomIn the matter of piety, poverty serves us better than wealth, and work better than idleness, especially since wealth becomes an obstacle even for those who do not devote themselves to it.
Saint John ChrysostomWhen we once begin to form good resolutions, God gives us every opportunity of carrying them out.
Saint John ChrysostomWe pray not to inform God or instruct Him but to beseech Him closely, to be made intimate with Him, by continuance in supplication; to be humbled; to be reminded of our sins.
Saint John ChrysostomNo one has ever been accused for not providing ornaments, but for those who neglect their neighbour a hell awaits with an inextinguishable fire and torment in the company of the demons. Do not, therefore, adorn the church and ignore your afflicted brother, for he is the most precious temple of all.
Saint John ChrysostomMemory of our good works makes us negligent and leads to arrogance. Do not think of your good deeds, so that God may remember them.
Saint John ChrysostomWhen you are weary of praying, and do not receive, consider how often you have heard a poor man calling, and have not listened to him.
Saint John ChrysostomAbba Moses asked Abba Sylvanus, Can a person lay a new foundation every day? The old man replied, If you work hard, you can lay a new foundation every moment. Abba Pimen said, To throw yourself before God, not to measure your progress, to leave behind all self-will; these are the instruments for the work of the soul. The desire to rule is the mother of heresies.
Saint John ChrysostomPoor human reason, when it trusts in itself, substitutes the strangest absurdities for the highest divine concepts
Saint John Chrysostom...there is nothing that has been created without some reason, even if human nature is incapable of knowing precisely the reason for them all.
Saint John ChrysostomThe bee is more honored than other animals, not because she labors, but because she labors for others.
Saint John ChrysostomBe ashamed when you sin, don't be ashamed when you repent [To repent means to have a change of heart and mind. It is not simply a feeling of sorrow ,but a psycho/spiritual growth away from evil/death and a turning to God/life]. Sin is the wound, repentance is the medicine. Sin is followed by shame; repentance is followed by boldness [ Boldness means to beg God for undeserved mercy]. Satan has overturned this order and given boldness to sin and shame to repentance.
Saint John ChrysostomFrom the creation learn to admire thy Lord! And if any of the things thou see exceed thy comprehension, and thou are not able to find the reason thereof, yet for this glorify the Creator, that the wisdom of these works surpass thine understanding.
Saint John ChrysostomIf you say, "Would there were no wine" because of the drunkards, then you must say, going on by degrees, "Would there were no steel," because of the murderers, "Would there were no night," because of the thieves, "Would there were no light," because of the informers, and "Would there were no women," because of adultery.
Saint John ChrysostomJust as those who are deprived of light cannot walk straight, so also those who do not behold the ray of the Holy Scriptures must necessarily sin, since they walk in the deepest darkness.
Saint John ChrysostomThere are many poor men and poor women: set apart some one constantly to remain there: let the poor man be though but as a guard to thy house: let him be to thee wall and fence, shield and spear. Where alms are, the devil dares not approach, nor any other evil thing.
Saint John ChrysostomYet, when we must put aside our wrath, quench our envy, soften our anger, offer our prayers, and show a disposition which is reasonable, mild, kindly, and loving, how could poverty stand in our way? For we accomplish these things not by spending money but by making the correct choice.
Saint John Chrysostom